2015 NFL Draft

It has been clear since February, when Lovie Smith signed off on Winston’s character at the NFL scouting combine, that the Buccaneers — so starved at QB for years — were heading this direction. Winston is a flawed, competitive and fearless passer who could be a star (if he builds on his 2013 performance) or, just as easily, a bust (if he plays like he did most of last season).

With reports of the Eagles willing to send half of eastern Pennsylvania to the rudderless Titans, they instead stand pat and select the very charismatic, smart, athletic Mariota, who could be a star if Tennessee is willing to adopt some spread-offense elements to its pro-style offense. Fascinating, to say the least, that the Titans didn’t accept the Eagles’ reported monster of an offer for the pick.

Despite talk that the Jaguars loved Amari Cooper, they decided to go with Fowler, the high-energy rush end who will fit Gus Bradley’s “Leo” rush role and help bring more steam to get after the Andrew Lucks of the world. The Jaguars love Fowler’s energy and charisma, and he’ll help bring an identity to this team. Scouts say he might have as much upside as any defender in this draft as a pass rusher off the edge.

Raiders GM aggressively sought Packers receiver Randall Cobb this offseason, and he gets a great alternative in Cooper, who fits the mold of a chess piece and terrific No. 1 receiver for budding QB Derek Carr. Cooper can run every route, can play every receiver position and — despite a lack of elite speed — can take the tops off defenses. He’s the best wideout they’ve had in years, maybe since Tim Brown.

Two years ago, he was being recruited by the likes of Hawaii and Bowling Green. A year ago, he was a talented but unknown receiver heading into his final year of college with tons to prove. Now White looks like the second coming of Brandon Marshall — the man he’s essentially replacing — as a big, physical, nasty receiver who can fly by safeties or run them over. His likeable demeanor off the field belies his intensity on it.

The Falcons picked up an explosive pass rusher in Beasley, who can immediately help a poor pass rush. First-year coach Dan Quinn, who comes from Seattle, will build his defense around this top edge player.

With Waynes, the Vikings now have a pair of long-armed press corners in Waynes and Xavier Rhodes to match up with the beastly wide receivers of the NFC North and offer flexibility to Mike Zimmer defensively. He can blitz with his potent front or play single-high safety and be creative underneath. Waynes might struggle a bit with the short stuff, but his recovery speed is rare, he can run stride for stride with fast wideouts and get physical with them, too.

The Browns were rumored to be looking to trade up, but they sit back and take a player who fits their defense in Shelton, a 335-pound penetrator. He’s not your typical hold-the-fort nose tackle, displaying play-making ability as a senior not shown previously. Can he live in the backfield in Mike Pettine’s defense? That’s not clear. But at worst, he can be a stout, two-gap run defender who can brawl with AFC North centers. Shelton's weight has been an issue at times, but he moves well for his size and has shown he can handle a large volume of snaps.

The Saints have undergone a huge overhaul offensively, and they make a surprise pick in Peat, who might be the most talented tackle in the draft if he can put it all together but occasionally will lull through some disappointing spells. But he’s long-winged, nasty, agile and nifty-footed. He can handle either left tackle or, more likely right away, right tackle to replace Zach Strief. Still, we expected a defensive player or a receiver here. Protecting Drew Brees in the twilight of his career apparently is the key behind this pick.

The Dolphins have opted to pick up QB Ryan Tannehill’s fifth-year option and give him everything he needs in terms of weapons to succeed. The underneath is covered with Jarvis Landry, the deep routes go to Kenny Stills, and roaming the intermediate will be new tight end Jordan Cameron and Parker, who is a bit raw still but has electric ability and can gain yards in chunks with time to develop.

In the first trade of the 2015 NFL draft, the Chargers leapfrog the Texans, moving from pick No. 17 to 15 and giving up a 2015 fourth-rounder and a 2016 fifth-rounder to do so. The Chargers move up for Gordon to replace Ryan Mathews in the backfield. Gordon is an electric, run-to-space playmaker who has deficiencies in the pass game but might be the best home-run hitter in the draft. He fills a huge void and has shown he can handle a big load in college. (From 49ers)

The Texans nab the confident, clean, sticky Johnson, who might be the most underrated prospect in the draft. With a ton of experience in college, Johnson routinely matched up with opposing No. 1 receivers and often ran with them stride for stride. His energy is infectious on the field, and his confidence can help boost a secondary that might move on from Johnathan Joseph in a year. Johnson can be brought along as a nickel corner as a rookie.

Armstead might be the most physically impressive prospect in the draft with his chiseled 6-7, 290-pound frame. But turn on the tape and you can go long stretches between big plays. His upside is undeniable, but Armstead has work to do to grow into what he could be. The 49ers are getting old up front and need fresh blood. This pick, after moving back two slots, has a boom-or-bust feel to it. (From Chargers)

Peters' talent isn't the question. Some significant red flags, including his dismissal from the Washington team last year, are. But if he has matured, he's a supremely talented playmaker who can help right away.

Erving is the top center off the board, and deservedly so. What makes the pick a bit surprising is that the Browns locked up center Alex Mack to a five-year, $42 million contract before last season. Mack is coming off a broken leg and can opt out of his deal after this season. The Erving pick indicates this might be Mack’s last season in Cleveland. (From Bills)

Agholor is fast and shifty and fills an immediate need for the Eagles. Philadelphia has lost DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin the past two offseasons, so Agholor has a chance to play a lot right away in a high-octane offense.

The Bengals roll the dice on a player who is coming off a subpar season and a torn ACL in his final college game that could leave him unavailable for some of the offseason and perhaps delay his healthy return to the field. He played left tackle, right tackle and right guard for the Aggies, who have produced a ton of NFL offensive line talent in recent years, but his struggles at left tackle last season raise questions about this pick. That said, you’d have to think the athletically gifted Ogbuehi is a long-term replacement for Andrew Whitworth, who turns 34 in December.

Ray is a fantastic edge pass rusher. The problems are that he has a foot injury that reportedly might need surgery, and he was cited on marijuana possession this week, which brings his decision making into question. (From Lions)

Humphries isn't a huge tackle, but he's very light on his feet and should eventually settle in as a left tackle in the NFL. The Cardinals have done a good job building their line the past couple years.

In a head-scratcher, the Panthers take a talented player — with GM Dave Gettleman clearly adhering stringently to his board, forgoing other needs — who doubles up with some of what Thomas Davis does now. Thompson is versatile but appears to be the “Will” linebacker of the future who can play against talented tight ends now and replace Davis (he of the three ACL tears) permanently down the line. Thompson also brings huge special-teams potential, which was a major area of need last season. Some have projected Thompson to safety, but he's said he's a linebacker.

John Harbaugh said the Ravens were good at receiver. So did Joe Flacco. But adding Perriman adequately replaces the deep speed lost when Torrey Smith skipped town via free agency. Perriman scorched a sub-4.3 40-yard dash at his pro day and has an NFL physique. Too often, he was inconsistent, suffering from dropped passes in college, but he has a chance to be a huge weapon for Flacco on 9-routes. This was a need that was filled.

With Mo Claiborne a bust to date, Brandon Carr likely to be a salary dump in 2016 and Orlando Scandrick — the Cowboys’ best corner — currently asking for a new deal, this pick makes a ton of sense. Jones’ confidence and incredible athleticism are great traits, but he has looked his best in man-coverage situations. Asking him to reroute receivers and play with his eyes in the backfield might be an adjustment in the Cowboys’ cover-2 scheme, but Jones has the skill to do it.

Tomlinson, who says he wants to study medicine and who started for four years with the Blue Devils, looks like a Day 1 starter at left guard for the Lions opposite maybe the best guard in football in Larry Warford. Tomlinson is smart, tough and dependable and graded out as one of the best run-blocking linemen in college football last season. Trading down five spots with the Broncos also netted fifth-round picks this year and next, which was good value. (From Broncos)

The Colts continue stockpiling impressive offensive talent and former Hurricanes, as they add Dorsett, who was an underused blur in college. He can help take the top off of defenses with T.Y. Hilton to make up maybe the best deep WR duo in the league. Another toy for Andrew Luck to play with, Dorsett will nonetheless have a lot of talent at receiver to compete against with Hilton, Andre Johnson, Donte Moncrief and Duron Carter. Dorsett also has some special-teams value as a returner, but his results in college there were mixed.

A classic Ted Thompson out-of-left-field pick, Randall can fit in as a nickel defender right away … but isn’t that Micah Hyde’s role? The Packers did lose Tramon Williams to free agency, but most scouts don’t project Randall as an outside corner. So that would mean the Packers took a safety two years in a row in the first round, and Randall and HaHa Clinton-Dix have some overlaps in their games. Randall also has ace return skills, too.

After addressing the offensive line with their first first-round pick, the Saints get some help on the other side of the ball with a physical tone setter inside that they have not had since Jonathan Vilma left town. Anthony is athletic, built with a strong base, can cover better than he’s given credit for and can run and make plays when he’s covered well up front. This is an interesting pick for a team that needs some new energy, and this is a player Rob Ryan likely signed off on during the scouting process. (From Seahawks)

One of the best talents left on the board, Brown can help the Patriots defense either as a quick, penetrating nose tackle or as a 3-technique, the spot he played most often for the Longhorns. He made a living in the backfield as a junior and is an ascending player, but his skill set overlaps somewhat with 2014 first-round pick Dominique Easley, whose knee issues roundly derailed his rookie season. The Patriots will rely on front-four pressure more and less on great coverage in the back end with Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner gone. Brown helps them do that. That's four straight defensive picks in the first round for the Patriots and Bill Belichick.